Culture & Gov't

Twin Oaks Intentional Community was founded in 1967 based on the behaviorist principles of BF Skinner's book Walden Two. We are no longer a behaviorist community, but it is here that our roots lie, and so we are including this information on our website. Note that Twin Oaks does retain some of it's Walden Two roots: the labor system and planner/manager decision-making system were important elements in Walden Two and are still central to life at Twin Oaks (current information, year 2010).

This material was originally posted to spur discussion of issues raised in and by B.F. Skinner's 1948 utopian novel, Walden Two, and issues about communities and behavior science. It was created by Nexus (who was a member of Twin Oaks at the time.)

Critiques of Walden Two

Skinner's Scientific Utopia: The Paradox of Freedom by Fran Nowve

Reconsidering Walden Two: Skinner’s Novel is Best Read as a Popularization of Reinforcement Theory, Not the Necessary Civic Components for a Behaviorological Community by Barry Stoller